nightmare fire in Urbanna VA

[swparis85]

http://wtvr.com/2016/02/29/urbanna-marina-fire/

2 dead, 50 boats lost

[Jim Walsh]

I've seen two pleasure boats burn to the waterline. Not a pretty sight.

[mashenden]

Wow - What a tragedy!!! 20 plus boats lost, 30+ more damaged, and most sadly, 2 boater lives lost.

I thank my lucky stars that we only had some canvas with burn holes (possibly the sails) and an oily film of toxic crud over everything. Had the first responders not contained the building between the marina and us, or had the burning boat that landed on our dock spread, things would have been much worse.

During:


Later that afternoon, from the same general area as the first photo. Doziers Marina used to be between where I took the photo and my boat (flagged with the arrow):

This is where the burning boat landed on our pier. It burned and melted such that the microwave oven fell out of the boat onto our dock. And there it sits:


Needless to say if a boat had been in the adjacent slip, things would have been much worse for us at Oyster Harbor. Poor Nautica would have been involved in yet another fire (Is it too soon for a roasted Oyster Harbor joke?? - yeah, probably).

Here is another boat floating by after its lines burned away:


I have to admit pride that my webcam allowed people to watch remotely, albeit not a direct line of sight (http://www.VaRivah.com)...

(Credit for some of these pictures goes out to Debbie Price and Beth Justice)

[M. R. Bober]

Wow - What a tragedy!!! 20 plus boats lost, 30+ more damaged, and most sadly, 2 boater lives lost.

I thank my lucky stars that we only had some canvas with burn holes (possibly the sails) and an oily film of toxic crud over everything. Had the first responders not contained the building between the marina and us, or had the burning boat that landed on our dock spread, things would have been much worse.

During:


Later that afternoon, from the same general area as the first photo. Doziers Marina used to be between where I took the photo and my boat (flagged with the arrow):

This is where the burning boat landed on our pier. It burned and melted such that the microwave oven fell out of the boat onto our dock. And there it sits:


Needless to say if a boat had been in the adjacent slip, things would have been much worse for us at Oyster Harbor. Poor Nautica would have been involved in yet another fire (Is it too soon for a roasted Oyster Harbor joke?? - yeah, probably).

Here is another boat floating by after its lines burned away:


I have to admit pride that my webcam allowed people to watch remotely, albeit not a direct line of sight (http://www.VaRivah.com)...

(Credit for some of these pictures goes out to Debbie Price and Beth Justice)

Matt,
When I heard about the fire, I thought about you, but thought you had moved the boat to Deltaville.
Glad you are okay.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster, (Just across the Rivah.) VA

[mashenden]

Matt,
When I heard about the fire, I thought about you, but thought you had moved the boat to Deltaville.
Glad you are okay.

Mitchell Bober
Sunny Lancaster, (Just across the Rivah.) VA

Thank you, Mitchell.

I did sell my prized open cockpit Typhoon to Mr Carmichael in Deltaville and a few of my other Tys seem to have gravitated to that area as well. That may have been the Deltaville connection. But no, after leaving Lancaster (CBTB) we became firmly entrenched in Urbanna, having bought a condo at Oyster Harbor. Unit 14 if you are ever in the area and looking for some socializing!!

PS - The comments in your signature are very entertaining - always bring a smile to my face .

[Maine Sail]

Matt,

You really got lucky! I know Doziers and Urbanna pretty well as my family rents the James Ross River Plantation for a week every few years, the kids love it... Great spot.

This is sad news for sure and I hope the investigators examine each and every shore power connection from every boat at the marina or what is left of it.. The vast majority of large marina fires are started by shore power connections I think portable heaters comes in a close second... Sad news for sure..

[mashenden]

Matt,

You really got lucky! I know Doziers and Urbanna pretty well as my family rents the James Ross River Plantation for a week every few years, the kids love it... Great spot.

This is sad news for sure and I hope the investigators examine each and every shore power connection from every boat at the marina or what is left of it.. The vast majority of large marina fires are started by shore power connections I think portable heaters comes in a close second... Sad news for sure..

Agreed, and as I am sure you agree, the two are related. Corroded shore power connectors (or loose connections elsewhere) combined with the high current draw from a space heater can cause heat that is concentrated at the point(s) of corrosion (resistance). With enough heat, things start smoldering and eventually catch on fire.

I also wonder about the short cut solution to winterizing boats in this area where some people put a bulb in the bilge. If (when) it falls over, it becomes a strong source for sparks in an often volatile area. Poof!! And it was windy that night, so a bulb falling over is not inconceivable...

BTW - Arson has been firmly ruled out, so I was told by both a State Police trooper and Dozier's lawyer while attending the insurance claim meeting yesterday.

My theory is that it was not the deceased couple's (RIP) boat that caused the fire, but instead one nearby that caused things to get well underway before they were aware. While I don't know if the professionals will be able to pin point the cause with any certainty, the boat that landed on our pier seems like a likely point of focus as the source. That is because it seems like the boat with an on-board fire would melt the dock lines sooner than others, and before the roof and other material fell that would hold other boats in place. Based on a text from someone at Oyster Harbor at the time the boat was noticed on our pier (5:38 am), it was the first boat out.

But that is just one engineer's logical thought process developing an amateur's theory .

James Ross River Plantation is an awesome place. I understand that its for sale for a mere $4M, if you want to retire south . Stop by if you are ever back in the area. I still owe you a drink or 5 for the solid advise on redoing the charging system on my boat.